Indianapolis city council passes proposal for same-sex couple benefits

Earlier this week, Indianapolis City-County Council approved a proposal that would benefit those city and county employees who are in same-sex domestic partnerships.

The proposal was passed by a vote of 20 to 8.

Those who opposed it said they did so on the grounds of the budget issues facing the city. Those opponents said it was unclear how much the measure would cost the city – but they estimated it to fall somewhere between $200,000 and $1 million.

Democratic Councillor Angela Mansfield said a cost analysis by the office of the City Controller revealed the overall cost would be just a third of a one percent of what the city currently spends on health insurance.

According to Indiana Public Media Councillor Mansfield said: “The city controller had their benefits consultant do a cost analysis and the actual amount would be very, very small.”

However, Republican Councillor Aaron Freeman stated that the council did not take into account Mayor Greg Ballard’s earlier presentation that mentioned a $65 million budget shortfall.

Councillor Freeman said: “Now, less than two hours later, we‘re adding things to it and presumably, we‘re going to have to go find some more money.

“And I was struck by a comment the mayor said when he said, ‘This budget is not a license to spend’ and yet we‘re already spending.”